Kino Lorber “Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers” Giveaway

“A thrilling look at the variety of films made by women, most before they won the right to vote.” – Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

Oh Yay, I’m happy to say we’re giving away FIVE copies now!

A scene from Salome

CMH is very happy to announce that we’ll be giving away THREEFIVE COPIES of a very special DVD/Blu-Ray Set — Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers — courtesy of our friends at Kino Lorber! This 6-disc historical collection, produced in collaboration with the Library of Congress, features the daring, innovative, and trailblazing work of the first female filmmakers, and will be available in stores on Nov 20th. But you can win a copy right here on CMH this month!

In order to qualify to win one of these Sets via this contest giveaway, you must complete the below entry task by Saturday, Dec 8Dec 22 at 10PMEST. However, the sooner you enter, the better chance you have of winning, because we will pick one winner on threefive different days within the contest period, via random drawings, as listed below… So if you don’t win the first week that you enter, you will still be eligible to win during the following weeks until the contest is over. Please note that each winner will be able to choose their preferred format: DVD or Blu-Ray.

Nov 24: One Winner

Dec 1: One Winner

Dec 8: One Winner

Dec 15: One Winner (just added!)

Dec 22: One Winner (just added!)

We will announce each week’s winner on Twitter @ClassicMovieHub and right here on this Blog in the comment section below, the day after each winner is picked at 10PM EST — for example, we will announce our first week’s winner at 10PM EST on Sunday Nov 25.

A scene from The Red Kimona, produced by Dorothy Davenport

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ENTRY TASK (2-parts) to be completed by Saturday, Dec 8Dec 22 at 10PM EST — BUT remember, the sooner you enter, the more chances you have to win…

1) Answer the below question via the comment section at the bottom of this blog post

THE QUESTION:What is it about this historic collection that intrigues you most?

NOTE: if for any reason you encounter a problem commenting here on this blog, please feel free to tweet or DM us, or send an email to classicmoviehub@gmail.com and we will be happy to create the entry for you.

*If you do not have a Twitter account, you can still enter the contest by simply answering the above question via the comment section at the bottom of this blog — BUT PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU ADD THIS VERBIAGE TO YOUR ANSWER: I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.

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A scene from Hypocrites, directed by Lois Weber

About Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers: In the early decades of cinema, some of the most innovative and celebrated filmmakers in America were women. Alice Guy-Blaché helped establish the basics of cinematic language, while others boldly continued its development: slapstick queen Mabel Normand (who taught Charlie Chaplin the craft of directing), action star Grace Cunard, and LGBTQ icon Alla Nazimova. Unafraid of controversy, filmmakers such as Lois Weber and Dorothy Davenport Reid tackled explosive issues such as birth control, abortion, and prostitution. This crucial chapter of film history comes alive through the presentation of a wide assortment of films, carefully curated, meticulously restored in 2K and 4K from archival sources, and presented with new musical scores. Special Features include an 80-page booklet with essays and photos, interviews with historians and archivists, and audio commentaries for select films.

“Provides a rare opportunity to see some of the greatest films helmed by early Hollywood’s intrepid women… filling in the blanks of the past and reclaiming the medium’s forgotten stories.” – Christina Newland, Village Voice

It’s great to see rare films by women directors restored and available to see, since they were prolific in early Hollywood and then written out of history. So many of these titles have been extremely difficult to see for years.

The tricks of the trade if you will are what intrigues me most about these silent films and the ones especially directed by women. The use of color tinting, the ability to tell a story well without verbals and so often on skimpy budgets was quite an accomplishment. It’s unfortunate that the advent of sound in motion pictures signaled the end of women as a force in motion picture directing. Hollywood took one step forward and 2 steps back.

This is an intriguing set, especially the films by made by Lois Weber and comedy legend Mabel Normand. Would love to have this movie set.
I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.

What has always intrigued me about this era of filmmaking is how women were so well-represented in early cinema before their numbers were diminished by The Powers That Be. Also, too; I love the early silents!

I would really love to win this collection!
I am a HUGE Mabel Normand and Alla Nazimova fan.
These films are new to me and I love to learn and watch films new to me.
I also love to read about classic film and the people who made them so the 80 page booklet is very exciting to me!
Thanks so much!

I recently watched some of the Women in Film programming on TCM and really enjoyed it. I saw Mabel Normand for the first time and had no idea her amount of influence on Charlie Chaplin. I was powerfully impacted by Lois Weber’s Where Are My Children? and her short Suspense. I would love to learn more about the female film pioneers.

I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.

I’ve longed for this set since it was announced, but it’s a bit beyond my budget. Women in film make up one of my main cinematic/historical interests, and this set would be an invaluable resource. I especially would love to see films by the most marginalized women filmmakers who have not received even the meager attention that Arzner, Guy-Blache, etc. have.

I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.

I think one of the biggest hurdles to appreciating silent era films, especially shorts, is that they’re mostly accessible in such abysmal quality – blurry YouTube videos or public domain DVDs crafting from aging transfers. I’m excited by the prospect of rescuing these films and providing them high quality restorations (especially Falling Leaves)!

I don’t think women in filmmaking get the attention or the appreciation that they deserve. Any bit of representation helps us strive for equality, and I think this set is a great way to spread important history to young women who want to be creators.

As someone who wishes to be a pioneering
woman filmmaker, I hope to watch these movies to respect those who have blazed the trail for me. The idea of seeing women’s early creations, of witnessing them bring the female gaze to cinematic storytelling would mean the world to me. The sheer talent and bravery is much needed right now. I hope to witness their genius. Fingers crossed!

It’s so important, as a woman and as a film fan, to be able to watch this collection! I want to support as many women filmmakers and creators in the film business as possible – and that includes the ones who started it all!

I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.

This set is necessary for a complete understanding of film history. Women are integral to the entire history of film, and their erasure from the story is not only wrong, it is disingenuous. There are so many women filmmakers that pioneered the grammar of film and shaped the landscape we see today. We need this box set.

I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
I’m extremely excited by this collection because I teach film, and am always trying to help my non-white and non-male students find a way to see themselves in the canon. Understanding that women have always made movies (and have too often been forgotten) will be a great antidote to the great-man film syllabus.

I think this is one of the most important collections in the history of cinema. It’s historic because it shows how women have been telling the most human truths, but from their point-of-view for decades. It’s time for their voices to be heard, and their films to be appreciated and seen. Women make great films too!

There are so many myths about the kinds of films women can’t make, what they can’t draw out from their male actors and where they lack a good visual eye. I’m intrigued by the foundational work of female filmmakers in this boxset which runs counter to these myths. I’m so curious to find examples of them being architects in areas they’re not “right for”. How much of their work is in the early film DNA of “masculine” genres or subject matter?

What an amazing group of filmmakers together in one set! I very intrigued to learn about what inspired them to explore and hone their craft. I am very curious to learn more about their creative minds and influences as well. There is so much great material to compare and contrast that is all together to get lost in!
I also have to say that I am a big fan of Zora Neale Hurston since I learned all about her being an early anthropologist that studied with Fraz Boas.
Thank you very much for this opportunity!

This collection is special because of the difficulty that women had to break into the business and to be taken seriously. Ida Lupino was one of my favourites, even directing episodes of The Twilight Zone. These women paved the way for people like Sofia Copolla, Penny Marshall, and Kathryn Bigelow to write, produce, direct, and to be taken seriously at doing it.

The earliest feature film I’ve ever sat down through is 1916’s “Where Are My Children” co-directed by Lois Weber — a film dealing with abortion, eugenics, family planning in incredibly fascinating ways. That’s the thing about allowing equality in society, you get a diverse set of views and perspectives that are valuable to advancing social discourse. This history fascinates me — just look at the career of June Mathis!– especially in the making of “Ben-Hur”.

This is an extremely rare collection and I’m certain it will disappear from availability very soon like so many other are films I own that are impossible to find now. And I’d like to make sure a household that loves film is preserving them.

I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.

I’m incredibly interested in this collection simply because these women exist and more people should know about them and their contributions to the world of film. So much talent that came before. I would love to sit with a bowl of popcorn and watch and learn!

In 2016 I completed WIF’s 52 Films by Women challenge for PaperDroids.com. It was an intense year of female directors spanning decades and an amazing look at the changing landscape of women in film. My one regret was not having an opportunity to include more pre-code and silent era examples. The one I did manage to include was Alice Guy’s “Falling Leaves.” The opportunity to do more in-depth source research on this era is beyond intruiging!

Box sets like this one are, to the film lover, like rare books to bibliophiles. So much history that was hidden away, now at our fingertips! I was aware of Alice Guy-Blaché and Mabel Normand, but the others are new to me, and make me wonder what other discoveries may be in that box? This is such an amazing time for cinephiles!

I’m eager to learn more about these pathbreaking pioneers and their various contributions to the development of cinema art and culture. This box set offers many, including myself, the opportunity to address a frankly shocking gap in our knowledge of film history.

I have always been fascinated by Hollywood’s early years. Of course I would be interested in seeing the films of women directors. They are an inspiration to all and in that era there were more female directors than at other decades. Sad but true.

What I think is so great about this collection is that it is not solely about those women who were behind the camera but also those in front. To have a collection that takes a look at Mabel Normand, a comedic actress, really stresses that all genres make a huge difference. Not just focusing on the dramatic roles but comedic in women as well.

I’ve coveted this box set since TCM started sharing select films from the collection in November. I’ve gone out of my way to try to see work by unsung and underappreciated women filmmakers since I studied the subject in college, but a lot of these directors and works are still new to me and I’d savor the chance to explore this set fully. I would ideally buy it, but my budget for the rest of the year will forgive no such indulgences, so I’m pinning my hopes on this contest.

The reason I find Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers collection so intriguing is for the fact that the issues women were addressing and discussing 100+/- years ago are still the same issues women are addressing and discussing today. Hmmmm. Despite all the ‘profess.’ Despite all the changes in the discussions around gender and power. But still the same issues are being discussed. Now *that’w* entrenched power.

I heard of Mabel Normand because of Chaplain Film. This would be a great set to own to see the contributions of these Women who paved the way for Penny Marshall, Nora Ephron, Barbra Streisand and many others as Women Directors.

I watched most of the films presented by TCM and hosted by Alicia Malone and Illeana Douglas during their salute to Pioneer Women Filmmakers which were selected from this collection. I was mesmerized by them. I was slightly familiar with Alice Guy-Blache and had read about Alla Nazimova and seen some of her films on TCM. Those women were revolutionary filmmakers in their own right; Nazimova had always impressed me with her true dedication to art and her vision, funding her own production company, even though her films failed commercially. The others were amazing, too. The women highlighted were all revolutionary filmmakers in their individual careers. Many films took on controversial topics, especially for the time; others pioneered film production and direction techniques; many of the women were actors, writers and designers as well. Comedy, drama and documentary–every genre was explored. The filmmakers were of different ethnicities, race, sexual orientation. It is so fascinating to see how these very different women creatively told the stories they wanted to bring to the screen during a very different time. Since I didn’t get to see all of them on TCM, I would love to own the box set and explore this fascinating treasure of films.

I think it’s fascinating to see how modern film has developed from the early days and it is very important that we do not forget how integral women were to early film. I do not have nearly the amount of knowledge that one should have about these incredible women, but getting this set would be a great start at learning more about this part of film history. Plus the films sound pretty great!

The history of all these women in film and their indispensable contributions.
I’m so excited about the possibility of how the Library of Congress and all the contributors that help in this restoration and saving of these important films.
The cinematic history they contributes along with the ground breaking history is something I just can not wait to see. I read the topics include LGBT issues, abortion, and many others that were brought up for the first time.
I’m very excited to see this ground breaking series in its entirety.
What a wonderful opportunity.

As a female filmmaker myself, I am in awe of the women who paved the way for all womenkind to be able to work in this field. Seeing how much they contributed and how well-done their contributions are is incredibly inspiring, and something I wish/hope all people can see and appreciate as well. I love to read and watch everything about them. Everything I find brings something new to the table and to my understanding of the history of female filmmakers. I’ve never seen anything like this, and would love to have it!

In the early part of the 1900 Century, there were far more Women directing film than there are today. Some of the most innovative uses of the new media were created by women. Unfortunately, so much of this history is being lost to time, and the degradation of the films in storage. So, supporting the film industry and restoration is the best way to keep all this treasure from fading away. I look forward to seeing this publication of “About Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers”! And thank you supporting and producing this edition of the pioneering women of film.

At my film school, contributions by women were never highlighted. It wasn’t until after I graduated that I discovered how much women had to do with the early days of film and storytelling. Whether I am lucky enough to win or not, I am excited to check out this collection!! Also, let it be said; Winning this box set would mean the world to me, particularly on December 15th because my birthday is on the 16th! So, no pressure 😉

I’m interested in silent films made by women pioneers, but also in the ways in which we may write these women pioneers back into history by preserving and showing their films to various kinds of audiences. This film set is not about making room for a “woman’s corner” in film history, but it’s about changing film history in more meaningful ways.

I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.

I am really excited about the pioneers disc. What really caught my eye was the ethnographic films of Zora Neale Hurston. I am huge fan of her anthropological work. This just seems like an exhaustive set of films. Really exciting stuff!

What’s so great about this collection is that it highlights some of the most influential filmmakers of all time that don’t receive the credit they deserve. I know many of the names mentioned in the description, but I can’t say I’ve seen their films. Along with the included booklet, this set seems like a wonderful way to explore cinematic history and the women who made the movies what they are today.

What intrigues me most about this collection is the collection itself. Nobody has a grasp that there were early filmmakers who were women and this set helps tell their stories through the films they made.

I love love love female directed cinema. It’s such an important section of the history of film that goes unnoticed for so many reasons. To be able to experience such an in-depth look at the history of when women were able to work on films before it became “a man’s field” would be right up my alley.

I would love to learn more about these trailblazing women and the struggles they’ve probably had to face in the cinema industry. I think it would be inspiring and encouraging to watch as I try to figure out my own professional goals.

This is a gem of a collection. These brave women who were unafraid of any repercussions they might face for stepping forward and addressing social issues that were directly affecting women…Paved the way for every single woman who holds a job, a political office, or has a family. Wow.

I’ve taken a lot of film classes and read a lot of film theory (I’m an academic who studies film music), but I had not heard of very many of these women at all. I knew women had been a lot of early screenwriters and responsible for early film music (as accompanists), but not directors. I’m really eager to discover the hidden history of women making film!

I’m intrugued by this collection because Alicia Malone’s book “Backwards and in Heels” introduced me to some of the women film pioneers. I’m looking forward to watching films made by the women I read about.

I love the chance of watching films that are rarely seen. The fact that these films represent the work of pioneering women makes them even more interesting. I saw part of the series on TCM would love the chance to see the rest and to rematch those I enjoyed the first time. I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.

What intrigues me most about this collection of women filmmakers is how it questions the popular assumption that early cinema was pioneered only by men. I can’t wait to view and share films from this collection! I’m on Twitter @briankfriesen

Women are just so underrepresented in the film world and I need to learn more. I have been making strides to broaden my viewing habits and learn more history, and this set looks like a perfect way to expand on that even more.